Tips for Launching Your Own Outdoor Gear Store [2020]

If you are an outdoor enthusiast and are looking to make some extra money off of what you are…
a sign on a pole

If you are an outdoor enthusiast and are looking to make some extra money off of what you are already passionate about, you may want to consider breaking into the outdoor gear industry. There are many ways to enter this industry, but if you fancy yourself as an entrepreneur or have good management skills, you could start your own outdoor gear store. This is an effective way to be your own boss and do what you love as an adventurous outdoor soul.

Of course, as with all businesses, there is a way to start your own store the wrong way, and a way to start your own store the right way. If you do your research before you jump into a new business venture, you will have more success and will be equipped with the right tools to maximize your ease and your profit. If you want to get going and start an outdoor gear store of your own, here are some surefire tips to having a successful start and to maintain that upward momentum.

Do Your Research On Customers

One major tip when starting any type of store is to do your research on your potential customer base. This means surveying, asking around, or generally studying the population in your community. Knowing more about your customers will make a lot of decisions you have to make much easier. These decisions could include marketing techniques, tactics, and campaigns as well as what products to stock to entice folks to purchase from you.

Stock The Right Items

Speaking of stocking the right products, that is the second tip. If you know your customer base well and know the general needs of your community, you can make a better decision when it comes to purchasing products for your business. For instance, if you live near a popular ski resort or mountain, you may want to stock more skis, coats, boots, and poles to cater to that customer base.

However, if you live in a more rural hunting area, you could invest more heavily in guns and gun accessories. Your customers may be more likely to buy from you if you have the newest and nicest AR-15 tool kit or hunting rifle. Make sure that if you go the gun and gun accessory route, you abide by all laws in your area and have the proper certification to sell.

Sell Yourself!

The key to any great business strategy is marketing. You will want to make sure that you adequately market your new business across all channels, including online banners and social media as well as mailers and e-blasts. Driving traffic is so important for a business owner especially if their store or company is new to the area.

Maintain Excellent Customer Relationships

Once you’ve gotten the customer base and stocked the right products, you will want to make sure you are maintaining great customer relationships. That can be done through excellent customer service and high-quality CRM software to help you track customer communications. You may even want to consider a CRM call center software, which is customer service software that works in tandem with your existing CRM so you can seamlessly provide and track your top-notch service.

Stay Organized

No matter how much success you have at the beginning of your business venture, it means absolutely nothing if you cannot keep it going. Make sure you are staying organized in every part of your business, and invest in software or some extra help to keep everything you need in one place. If you track your inventory, manage payroll, and keep all your important business forms in one place, it will be much easier to stay organized and focused on making your business great.